# Texualism and the Mishnah Berurah by R. Micha Berger

**URL:** https://discourse.aishdas.org/t/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berurah-by-r-micha-berger/64461
**Category:** Avodah
**Created:** [May 31, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://discourse.aishdas.org/t/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berurah-by-r-micha-berger/64461 "2015-05-31T17:20:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![llevine](https://discourse.aishdas.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@llevine](https://discourse.aishdas.org/u/llevine)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2015, 5:20pm UTC](https://discourse.aishdas.org/t/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berurah-by-r-micha-berger/64461/1 "2015-05-31T17:20:38Z")

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From [http://www.aishdas.org/asp/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berurah](http://www.aishdas.org/asp/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berurah)

The author [of the Mishnah Brurah, the Chofetz=20  
Chaim] is clear: the purpose of the book was not=20  
to provide his own ruling, but to survey the=20  
later posqim who have added complexity to the=20  
field so that someone looking to reach a decision=20  
knows who wrote on the matter.

Yes, the CC (or his son or other students who=20  
worked with him) often gave his own opinion,=20  
including our =93ba=92al nefesh yachmir=93, but it is=20  
unclear to me he intended that opinion to be a=20  
pragmatic ruling rather than a theoretical=20  
statement. This would explain why the Mishnah=20  
Berurah=92s rulings diverge from accepted practice=20  
so much more often than the Arukh haShulchan (a=20  
contemporary work from the same region). Halakhah=20  
lemaaseh, pragmatic rulings, need to take such=20  
precedent and continuity into account; discussions of textual theory do not.

As further evidence that the Mishnah Berurah was=20  
not intended to be a practical law guide, we have=20  
a lot of testimony that shows that its own author=20  
often followed the common Lithuanian practice=20  
over his own =93ruling=94. Despite the origin of=20  
wearing one=92s tzitzis strings out being in the=20  
MB, the CC did not. His qiddush cup doesn=92t hold=20  
as much wine as the MB would require. (It is=20  
still in the hands of the Zaks family and has=20  
been checked repeatedly.) He advocated for=20  
building city eiruvin for carrying on Shabbos=20  
despite BH 364 =93ve=92achar=93. The Chafeitz Chaim did=20  
not say =93Berikh Shemeih=94 when taking out the=20  
Torah.=20  
Etc=85\<[http://www.aishdas.org/asp/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berurah#footnote=](http://www.aishdas.org/asp/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berurah#footnote=)  
\_0\_4329\>1

I am suggesting that the CC=92s textualist and=20  
formal stance in the MB is simply because the MB=20  
was a book for studying texts. And he did not=20  
intend to deemphasize mimetic tradition (the flow=20  
of practice transmitted culturally).

This shift happened when the Chazon Ish in Israel=20  
and a number of American rashei yeshiva (such as=20  
R=92 Aharon Kotler) promoted the idea of using the=20  
Mishnah Berurah as a poseiq acharon.

See the above URL for more. YL

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\<html\>  
\<body\>  
From  
\<a href=3D"[http://www.aishdas.org/asp/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berurah&quot](http://www.aishdas.org/asp/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berurah&quot); eud=  
ora=3D"autourl"\>  
[http://www.aishdas.org/asp/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berurah&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt](http://www.aishdas.org/asp/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berurah&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt);  
\</a\>The author&nbsp; [of the Mishnah Brurah,&nbsp; the Chofetz Chaim] is  
clear: the purpose of the book was not to provide his own ruling, but to  
survey the later \<i\>posqim\</i\> who have added complexity to the field so  
that someone looking to reach a decision knows who wrote on the  
matter.\<br\>\<br\>  
Yes, the CC (or his son or other students who worked with him) often gave  
his own opinion, including our =93\<i\>ba=92al nefesh yachmir\</i\>=93, but it i=  
s  
unclear to me he intended that opinion to be a pragmatic ruling rather  
than a theoretical statement. This would explain why the Mishnah  
Berurah=92s rulings diverge from accepted practice so much more often than  
the Arukh haShulchan (a contemporary work from the same region).  
\<i\>Halakhah lemaaseh\</i\>, pragmatic rulings, need to take such precedent  
and continuity into account; discussions of textual theory do  
not.\<br\>\<br\>  
As further evidence that the Mishnah Berurah was not intended to be a  
practical law guide, we have a lot of testimony that shows that its own  
author often followed the common Lithuanian practice over his own  
=93ruling=94. Despite the origin of wearing one=92s tzitzis strings out bein=  
g  
in the MB, the CC did not. His \<i\>qiddush\</i\> cup doesn=92t hold as much  
wine as the MB would require. (It is still in the hands of the Zaks  
family and has been checked repeatedly.) He advocated for building city  
\<i\>eiruvin\</i\> for carrying on Shabbos despite BH 364 =93\<i\>ve=92achar\</i\>=  
=93.  
The Chafeitz Chaim did not say =93\<i\>Berikh Shemeih\</i\>=94 when taking out  
the Torah.  
Etc=85\<a href=3D"[http://www.aishdas.org/asp/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berura=](http://www.aishdas.org/asp/texualism-and-the-mishnah-berura=)  
h#footnote\_0\_4329"\>  
\<sup\>1\</a\>\<br\>\<br\>  
\</sup\>I am suggesting that the CC=92s textualist and formal stance in the  
MB is simply because the MB was a book for studying texts. And he did not  
intend to deemphasize mimetic tradition (the flow of practice transmitted  
culturally).\<br\>\<br\>  
This shift happened when the Chazon Ish in Israel and a number of  
American \<i\>rashei yeshiva\</i\> (such as R=92 Aharon Kotler) promoted the  
idea of using the Mishnah Berurah as a \<i\>poseiq acharon\</i\>.\<br\>\<br\>  
See the above URL for more.&nbsp; YL\<br\>\<br\>  
\<br\>\<br\>  
\</body\>  
\<br\>  
\</html\>

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